Parity Regulatory News (PTY)

16 April 2019

Parity Group plc

('Parity' or 'the Company' or the "Group")

Senior Appointment

Parity (AIM:PTY), the data and technology focussed professional services business, announces that Antonio Acuña MBE has been appointed to the new role of Head of Consulting.

Matthew Bayfield, Chief Executive of Parity, welcomed Antonio and said:

"As the new Chief Executive of Parity I am looking to change the way the Company works and to grow our consultancy business. I am absolutely delighted therefore that we have been able to attract someone of Antonio's calibre to join us. Antonio's record and reputation in our industry is first class, his arrival will add huge impetus to our consultancy offer. Our clients will benefit from Antonio's extensive experience in data management and digital transformation projects."

ENDS

Antonio Acuña Biography

Antonio has worked in the public sector for over 15 years, with a foundation in digital transformation, lean processes and efficiencies. He has mainly focused on difficult, large projects. In 2007 he led, re-structured and delivered for DEFRA, the Noise Mapping England project, a challenging project to map via computer modelling all noise from transport, air, industrial and railways sources across all agglomeration of more than 100,000 people. The largest geo-acoustic project in the world at the time, with a £23 million budget, it was delivered on time and £11 million under budget.

In 2011 Antonio took over the alpha version of data.gov.uk at the Cabinet Office and Government Digital Services, the brainchild of Tim Berners-Lee, Nigel Shadbolt and Rufus Pollock, providing access to government data free of charge and with an open license for free reuse. Antonio led data.gov.uk to become the prime example for open data services worldwide, having a direct and positive influence in the development of similar national and local government initiatives in over 28 countries. During his time in Data.gov.uk Antonio appeared in over 30 international conferences, newspapers interviews and radio and television and engaged in collaborative work with organisations such as the World Bank, The Open Government Partnership and the White House Presidential Innovation Fellows Program.

During his time running data.gov.uk Antonio also became involved with digital transformation work, using data as an enabler for change and supporting assessment reviews for many large digital projects in governments on behalf of the Major Projects Authority at the Cabinet Office.

After the international success of data.gov.uk Antonio returned to Defra and became the Head of Data Management and Data Strategy, where he assembled a top team to scope and write the group's (Defra and its 33 agencies and other bodies) Data Strategy and draft a Data Management Framework. For the last 20 years Antonio has also been a lecturer on digital transformation for governments and the evolution of 'the digital state' and 'digital nation building', both in universities across the UK and internationally.

Before working in government Antonio led several digital marketing companies and a few start-ups.

Antonio holds an MA in Diplomacy, media and International Trade.